Three-times champions Spain survived the early scare of an own goal to beat a spirited Georgia 4-1 on Sunday and reach the last eight of Euro 2024, dominating in an exhilarating encounter that brought an end to the minnows' fairytale run.
La Roja will meet hosts Germany in the quarter-finals on Friday and sent a message of intent with a polished performance in the drizzling rain including superbly taken goals from Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Nico Williams and Dani Olmo. Spain had gone behind in the 18th minute against the run of play when Georges Mikautadze found Otar Kakabadze, who whipped in an early cross that struck Robin Le Normand and bounced into his own net, sending Georgian fans into a deafening frenzy.
"Against Germany we have to be at our best," said player of the match Rodri. "We knew it was going to be a tough match. They put us in trouble. We had chances.
"It was a pity about the goal, but we showed character and pride to come back. We knew they were going to be a solid team."
